My large-ensemble composition Pursuit opens and closes, appropriately, with the hard-won trumpet wisdom of my good friend Don Stratton. Don’s sixty-plus years of thoughtful music making and composing have been among the great inspirations of my years in Maine, and his presence animates the spirit of the entire performance.

After a spacious opening section, Pursuit’s first movement Portal gets rather wild and wooly, with high-energy soloing from Don and from Pamela Jenkins. Innocence contains the essential thematic material of the piece--a long, jagged ensemble line in which energy and intensity gradually compress to a point of critical mass, finally diffus- ing into a vapor trail out of which Steve Grover’s drum solo emerges.

In Search, multiple layers of sound coalesce over a bass ostinato, with numerous peaks and valleys--Tim O’Dell leads the way with an expansive soprano sax solo, and Cassidy Holden’s bass winds things down. The bluesy Azure features solos by Frank Mauceri and Bill Moseley, with a flute cadenza providing a bridge to Strive, the final movement. Strive evolves in texture from a chamber trio of flute, viola and cello to the driving sound of the full band, with angular counterpoint criss-crossing the instru- mental sections. These episodes open up into a guitar solo, followed by some spirited ensemble passages, until finally a transformed revisitatlon of material from Innocence closes the piece.

On a personal level, Pursuit represents an attempt to honor a quality of child- like innocence, alluded to in the second movement’s title, in these over-stimulated, conflict-ridden times.

The quintet compositions Abol Stream and Stillness both emerged as joyful musical responses to the exceptional beauty and uncluttered quiet I’ve experienced in the mountainous backcountry of northern Maine.

Richard Nelson

The Richard Nelson Large Ensemble is:
Bill Moseley, flute; Tim O’Dell, alto and soprano saxophones; Pamela Jenkins, alto saxophone; Frank Mauceri, tenor saxophone; John Foss, trumpet; Don Stratton, trumpet; Sebastian Jerosch, trombone; Anita Jerosch, bass trombone; Jon Luoma, viola;~Moira Wolohan, cello; Richard Nelson, guitar; Cassidy Holden, bass; Steve Grover, drums; Russ Lombardi, conductor.

The Richard Nelson Quintet is:
Tim O'Dell, alto and soprano saxophones; Don Stratton, trumpet; Richard Nelson, guitar; Cassidy Holden, bass; Steve Grover, drums.

Many thanks to the wonderful musicians who brought this music to life.

All compositions by Richard Nelson.
Published by Sound Around Music (BMI)
Heliotrope Records 1011
www.richardnelsonmusic.com

Produced by Richard Nelson
Recorded in Augusta and Bangor, Maine
Mastered by Noah Cole
www.noahrecords.net
Cover image Firestroke 12 by Rebekah Younger
www.rebekahyounger.com
Photo of Richard Nelson by Emily Weir
Design and Layout by Robbie Kanner
www.robbiekanner.com
Thank to the University of Maine at Augusta for supporting this project with a Trustee Professor grant.